Mockingjay Synopsis

Now, I know I'm not the first person to post this, but I have to. Goodreads.com now has a synopsis for Mockingjay, the third and final installment in The Hunger Games Trilogy. If you haven't read it yet, DO IT! And don't read the synopsis!

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

Woohoo! I have been waiting for Mockingjay since Catching Fire came out on September 1st! I am so excited to have a synopsis as vague as it may be.

Be sure to check out Mockingjay on August 24th 2010!

Sunday Series [2]

This week I'm comparing the covers in The Books of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater.

The first of the series, Lament, has had two covers. The first one (above far left) was the original cover (October '08) and inside the book has pictures in the same style has the cover. They were really beautiful and I loved them.

The new cover (above middle)came out sometime in March or April of 2009 I believe. I'm not positive. I'm guessing from these posts on Maggie's blog, Words on Words. The new cover came about to go with the cover of Ballad (above far right)

Lament: The first cover is really cool because it has the pictures on the inside too! It's different than most covers because it's mostly grays with bits of red which really pop!

The second cover is great too. I full understand why they chose the clovers and the dagger. The dagger is actually shiny =D The clovers make perfect sense as they are a recurring item throughout Lament. It's great. I, personally, think that the second cover is more likely to get someone to stop and look in a store or online than the first.

Ballad: This cover also makes perfect sense. FIRE! It's a recurring item Ballad as clovers were in Lament. I really don't have much else to say on the subject of the cover except that I like it and it matches the second Lament cover.

I'm really glad that Flux decided to make a new cover for Lament. It's not that I didn't like the first cover, but if they're going to have a completely different type of cover for the sequel, then why not change it? The two (current) covers are definitely cohesive. And really, that's all I care about!

Maggie did a really cool mock up of what she would have liked for the cover of Ballad and it's pretty darn close to the actual cover. You can see that on her blog here.

Maggie has no plans at the moment to continue the series as she's finishing up the third book, Forever, in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series and her "secret project". Although, I believe I read in her FAQs that she does have other stories for them, they're just not going to be written yet. I really hope she continues with the characters of The Books of Faerie.

Fang Preview

On the official Maximum Ride website, James Patterson has the first 13 chapters of Fang available for preview! (48 whole pages!!) You can check that out here.

(If you go to the Fang page and click on the sneak preview, you only get 12 pages instead of 12 chapters. The link that is called "here" is correct. So click that link! But if you would rather go the main page fine. Click "sneak-preview" THEN the e-book and choose the PDF file. You get 12 chapters!)

I must say that I think these first chapters are brilliant. It's totally setting up the story from the very beginning. There are new characters introduced which is cool. Sort of. I'm not sure how I feel about these new characters.

I'm thinking that before I read Fang, I should re-read the other books. At the very least, I should re-read Max. I was a little confused at the beginning because it has been a while, but I was able to remember things as Max reminded me! Because that's what she does.

So I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say anything else.

But if you HAVE read the previous five Maximum Ride novels, check out the preview!

I think that the Fang on the cover is quite good looking. Just had to throw that thought out and into the mix.

Fang hits stores March 15th 2010!

Prom Nights From Hell

It appears that HarperTeen has re-released Prom Nights From Hell with an all new cover! (right) This cover is very similar to the old one. (left) It has an open rose. The names of the authors on the top instead of the bottom. And I notice that the order of the names is different; this time, instead of Meg Cabot first, Stephenie Meyer is first AND has the line all to herself. Now, her names is long and possibly the longest. (I am not going to count letters. Sorry.) But, I wonder if there's a reason...I'm betting there is. As the author of Twilight, one of the best known books right now, I'd say, she's probably going to sell more books than the others. I mean, let's face it! I read this book before The Twilight Saga was everywhere. It was definitely known, but it was more of a cult thing. Not so much pop culture type thing. Anyway, I really like the new cover and I wonder if they'll go back and do new covers on the other books as well. I do believe this was the first, so it makes sense. I know that the newest one, Kisses from Hell, is similar to the old version. So who knows what this means? I like the old one as well, but I think this cover will sell more. It actually looks similar to the Twilight books...hmm. Red object in the center on a dark background. (This is gray; Twilight is black) and white lettering. Just another thought. And now I'm slightly disappointed in this cover.

I will probably be doing a Sunday Series meme on these covers some time. Probably closer to the release of Kisses from Hell.

Attention! Change in URL

I am changing my URL! So any links to my blog will be broken. I'm changing it because mollyfabric.blogspot.com does not tell anyone what my blog is. I am changing it to sleeplessreadmore.blogspot.com it's longer, but it works so much better! I'm changing it some time later tonight or tomorrow morning. (I'm waiting until a contest is over. ;P )

So, I'm sorry for any inconvenience, I've already updated my button. It has the new link in it. I'm going to change all my sidebars after I change the actual URL.

Thanks for understanding.

Molly

Sunday Series Meme

Okay, I have begun my own Meme. It's called Sunday Series. On Sundays I (and any bloggers who wish to participate) will post a blog post (redundant?) about the covers of a series or collection of books. (Like my first SS post about The Hunger Games Trilogy or it could be a bunch of books by an author like Nicholas Sparks. His books have similar covers).

Now, this all came about from an earlier post of mine about Fallen where I talked about the cover and how much I liked it and hoped the next book's (Torment) cover looks similar and is cohesive. I like my books to be cohesive.

So now, dear readers, I shall give you instructions:

Assuming I post one every week and you are planning to participate, you are to comment on my SS post of that week with a link to your post and a statement or two about what books you chose. Feel free to add anything else as you see fit.

Well, this is just so exciting. We'll have to see if it catches on!

Sunday Series

So, I've decided that every Sunday (or as often as I can) I will post the covers of a series and talk about them! I mentioned in a previous post about how I think it's really great (and important) when covers of books in a series are cohesive. And so, I'm going to show some that are and some that are not (if I can find any. Because I think, for the most part, they are cohesive.)

So to start of my new weekly meme (is it a meme? I don't know.) I am going to compare the three covers of The Hunger Games Trilogy. Why? Well, first, the cover of the upcoming and final HG book was revealed last week, I LOVE these covers, and The Hunger Games is one of my absolute favorite series. Ever.

The Hunger Games: This cover immediately caught my attention. I read the synopsis and thought, "Hmm...That sounds really interesting..." So I ordered it and had to wait until Christmas! It had still just come out. When I got it I looked at the cover in person and was happy to see it was shiny! YES! Shiny! And really smooth. I LOVE when book covers feel the way The Hunger Games feels.

I find that this cover represents the book well. It's dark which makes it feel dark which the book pretty much is. I mean, children fighting to the death on live television? Yeah, that's pretty dark. I love the placing of everything. The title is prominent and at the top so it's definitely noticed, even from far away on a bookshelf. Good choice. And then there is the mockingjay pin. Oh that pin. How I love thee. It's a pretty small thing in the book, but it's still so important. I think this was a great idea for the cover. Showing people on this would ruin it for me. Then I would picture the characters that way through the whole thing. This was a great cover choice. The mockingjay pin is totally unique. And I love the design it. They almost look like targets stemming from the pin. LOVE it!

Catching Fire: When I first saw the cover for Catching Fire, I was not disappointed! It keeps with the feel of the first one. There is the mockingjay pin, but this time the cover is brighter and RED! Which reminds me of The Girl that was On Fire! The pin is more detailed and the wings are more spread out this time. The mockingjay looks as if it is breaking free of the confines of the pin. Symbolism? It also appears that there is light coming out from it this time, as well as the targety design, but it's not surrounding the pin and it goes the opposite direction. I think this makes the two covers look really good next to each other.

I had to buy the Catching Fire pin from Borders. I couldn't NOT buy it!

Mockingjay: Wow! When I saw this cover I was ecstatic! Because now we adoring fans have a cover AND title to relate to the book. It is no longer The Hunger Games #3. It is Mockingjay! Many have pointed out how the cover colors progress from darker to light and also that the mockingjay on Mockingjay is spread out and seems free. Again, symbolism? I'd say so. The mockingjay is no longer encompassed in a circle and surrounded by targety images. The said targety looking design is totally underneath or behind the mockingjay. This cover instills hope in me and it looks as if the mockingjay is flying away! I really can't wait for Mockingjay to come out. I am greatly anticipating the finale of one of my absolute book series ever.

Overall Cohesiveness: This book series is most definitely cohesive as far as covers are concerned. I love these covers! They show the progression of the series in two ways. The colors and the image. I love that the same image is used.(At least I hope it's a progression symbolic of the story. Naturally, I don't know yet. Not until August 24th!)

It's the mockingjay which was significant to Katniss and so it is significant to the reader. The titles are all in the same font which I like as well. It'd look strange otherwise! The first two are a bit shiny and are smooth and I can only assume the third will be as well. I sure hope so. I love shiny books.

Mockingjay is set to be released August 24th 2010!

Cute!

(¯`v´¯)
`·.¸.·´ ♥
¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.♥

I saw this on my friend's facebook and had to pass it on. It's too cute!

Woo Hoo!

Amelia of Imagination in Focus was kind enough to pass along the Blogger Buddie Award to me! =D Thank you so much Amelia.

Now I believe I am supposed to pass it along as well!

I shall pass this to my best friend Katie at DedicatedReadersOnly. (She needs to post more. *cough cough*)

And also to Choco at In Which A Girl Reads because I just love her blog and she seems really nice =D I'm a pretty new follower and I look forward to her new posts!

I would totally give it back to Amelia, but that just seems...unnecessary. So Amelia, if you read this post, know that you get this award back from me anyway =D

In Which A Girl Reads Giveaway!

In Which A Girl Reads now has over 400 followers, so Choco is doing an international giveaway!

Requirements:
1.You must be a follower to enter
2. You must fill out the form (there is a link to the form on the original post). Comment entries will not count.
3. If you win, the book you pick has to cost under $20.

Check it out here!

The contest ends on March 6th at 11 p.m. EST.

The Original TBR (To Be Read) Challenge!

MizB hosts this challenge where you choose (at least) 12 books that you've been wanting to read for six months or longer. You can also choose 12 alternates. Once you choose your 12, you can't change them (which is why alternates is a great idea).

Go sign up!

My List:

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (the only one I have not read)
3. Candor by Pam Bachorz
4. Hunger by Michael Grant
5. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
6. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
7. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
9. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
10. Fly Me to the Moon by Alyson Noel
11. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
12. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

My Alternates:

1. The Sea Monsters by Rick Riordan
2. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
3. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
4. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
5. Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender
6. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
7. Kiss & Blog by Alyson Noel
8. Art Geeks and Prom Queens by Alyson Noel
9. Cruel Summer by Alyson Noel
10. Faking 19 by Alyson Noel
11. The Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee
12. I Was a Teenage Popsicle by Bev Katz Rosenbaum

Beautiful Creatures Related Giveaway!

Caster Girls is having an AMAZING contest in honor of Lena's birthday!

What do you win?

• A Spiral Notebook & Sharpie
• A Print from the BC Trailer, by VLC Photo
• Popcorn & Milk Duds
• BC Tour Dog Tags
• Black Nail Polish
• A custom-designed pair of Chucks just like Lena’s!
• Kami & Margie will buy you a pair of black Chucks in your size & write all over your kicks themselves, just like Caster Girl 13 drew on the ones for the BC trailer

What do you have to do?

• comment on the post here with what YOU would put on Lena's Chucks!
• there are, of course, ways to get extra entries

The deadline is March 5th so get on that!

Dark Flame Release Date

The fourth installment in The Immortals Series by Alyson Noel, Dark Flame was scheduled for release on July 6th 2010.

It is now going to be released...

June 22nd 2010!

Check out Alyson Noel's blog Tales from the Real OC (Really!) for all her Immortals news. (And other stuff)

Also! Kisses from Hell finally has a release date! September 1st! I am a huge fan of the "hell" anthologies from HarperCollins so I'm extremely excited for this one. The authors include Kristin Cast, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Richelle Mead, and Francesca Lia Block. This is exciting! The cover is beautiful and I would not have guessed flowers. I like it a lot!

Maggie Stiefvater Giveaway! [I'm so excited!]

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

2010 Support Your Local Library Challenge

I love this challenge because I love my local library! So. Here's the challenge!

There are four levels! And the great thing is you can change levels as you go along! My goal will start at the lowest and I hope to get to the top level, but I am not sure that will happen for me.

• The Mini – Check out and read 25 library books.
• Just My Size – Check out and read 50 library books.
• Stepping It Up – Check out and read 75 library books.
• Super Size Me – Check out and read 100 library books.

I will post my books here!

1. Love is Hell
2. Tangled
3. Devoured

2010 100+ Reading Challenge!

Over on J. Kaye's book blog is the 100+ Challenge. What this challenge is, is to read 100 or more books in 2010! Just click here to find out about it and sign up! I have not chosen my books, I'm going to list them as I go!

1. Love is Hell
2. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
3. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
4. Captivate by Carrie Jones
5. Fallen by Lauren Kate

Win "Hearts at Stake" by Alyxandra Harvey

Fantastic Book Review is holding a contest to win Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey!

The contest ends on Feb. 26th at midnight. Just tell her your favorite romance book(s). There are several ways to gain extra entries (up to 7 total) so be sure to check out her contest here!

She has a wonderful review and great interview with the characters. There will be two winners. TWO!

So be sure to check it out!

Fallen

author: Lauren Kate

published: December 8th 2009

series: Fallen (book #1)

publisher: Delacorte Press (An imprint of Random House Children's Books)

format: hardcover

pages: 452

genre: fantasy

The following synopsis comes from Goodreads.

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

I think this cover is compelling. I saw it and thought it would be a book I'd like; and I was right. The cover makes sense to me having read it and I think it's beautifully done. It makes someone looking at it wonder: who is this girl? why is she upset? what is with the woods and the dress? So you read the inside flap or back cover to find out whatever you can; then you're hooked. I read about it and I had to read it, but I ordered it with other things, had to wait, then read the others first. I love this cover so much and I really hope the cover of the sequel is just as good as this one and has a similar theme. Because when it comes to book series, I like the covers to be cohesive. Sometimes they aren't! I'm going to post about series covers some time.

Anyway, I really love this cover.

The Book:

It begins with a quote. Personally, I like it when books begin with a quote from somewhere else. It usually gives the reader an idea of what the book is about or something that happens, without really giving you anything at all! This quote is from Heinrich Von Kleist "On The Puppet Theater". So, having not heard of this Henrich fellow, I googled him. Wikipedia says he "a German poet, dramatist, novelist and short story writer." I am intrigued and will probably read up on him some more.

The quote at the beginning of Fallen is this,

"But paradise is locked and bolted. . . .

We must make a journey around the world

to see if a back door has perhaps been left open."

I like this quote. I think it sets up the story nicely.

So, Fallen is about a girl named Luce (short for Lucinda) who finds her way into Sword & Cross reform school where she meets kids with issues and baggage that they don't want to share, which is fine with her; she doesn't want to share hers and more than they do.

It starts off with her getting to the school for the tour and she is already making a bad impression, she's late. She gets set up with Arriane to give her a tour and they quickly hit it off and she shows her the ropes. Now this would be a YA novel without some boys. She meets two that really stick in her mind: Cam & Daniel. Cam is cute, immediately nice to her and treats her well and she knows his intentions. While on the other side, there's Daniel. Also a resident cutie, but he's mean to her right off the bat. For some reason Luce is just drawn to him and can't stop thinking or dreaming about him.

Luce has to get used to life at Sword & Cross while also trying to avoid the shadows lurking around her. Then on top of that, she has to figure out which boy she really likes.

I find that Luce is quite mature, which I don't think is often the case in books like this one. She has obviously been through a lot and that comes across in both her actions and thoughts. I found this to be one of my favorite things about her. She uses her head, most of the time. The two boys were quite different in the way they treat Luce and that was very interesting to see.

Now, I have to mention, Luce does have female friends, so this isn't purely male driven relationships. Arianne and Penn quickly become the girls that Luce trusts and hangs out with; her best friends at Sword & Cross. They show her the ropes and help her out with her admirers. Watching her relationship with these girls develop was just as intriguing as that with Cam and Daniel.

I was hooked from the beginning and could NOT put this book down and when I did have to, I thought about it. I still am thinking about it! It's one of those books that gives me this feeling in my gut that I just can't shake even after I've read it. (I got the same one with The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Shiver among a few others. Those are the ones I can think of at the moment)

I highly recommend this book. I loved it and am eagerly awaiting the sequel, Torment which hits stores (according to Goodreads) September 2nd 2010 or (according to Amazon) October 26th 2010! Amazon is probably the more reliable, but we will see how it pans out.

Five out of five stars.

BIG Hunger Games News!

I am SO excited to post that Scholastic has revealed both the title AND the cover of the newest (and final) installment of The Hunger Games Trilogy. It's beautiful.

Without further ado...

Mockingjay is scheduled for release on August 24th 2010!

194 more days!

On the Scholastic blog, they have this little blurb from the VP Editorial Director of Scholastic, Devid Levithan.

I am not, under any circumstances, allowed to divulge the contents of the third Hunger Games book. Nada. Nothing. Not a peep. I can, however, share with you five things that will not be appearing in the new book:

• Panem is not shaken up when District 9 is nominated for a best picture Oscar.
• At no point does President Snow utter the line, “This is Snowmageddon, baby.”
• Despite internet rumors to the contrary, it is not revealed that Cinna has been secretly designing outfits for a Capitol operative known as “Lady GaGa.”
• All rumors of a crossover appearance by Geronimo Stilton are false.
• In a tough editorial call, we decided not to have Katniss win the Hunger Games…only to be interrupted by Kanye West.

So - there you go. I guess this means you, me, and everyone else will have to wait until August 24th to find out what really happens. Sigh ... August suddenly seems so far away.

I agree. It does feel far away.

Captivate

author: Carrie Jones

published: January 5th 2010

series: Need (book #2)

publisher: Bloomsbury

format: hardcover

pages: 273

genre: fantasy

The following synopsis comes from Goodreads.

Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

I really like this cover; I think I like it more than the cover of Need. I think that, having read Captivate, the cover works really well with the story. It's beautiful!

The Book:

It took me a little while to finally get into it. I don't know why, because it was action packed from the beginning! But once I finally got into it I couldn't put it down. I read most of it in one day and throughly enjoyed where Carrie Jones took the characters.

I sort of wish I had reread Need because as I started reading Captivate, I found myself trying to remember what happened in Need and where it left off. I quickly began remembering things and even more as I read on, but it might have been beneficial to read Need again! (I try to do that with sequels)

Zara is forced to make important decisions that effect her future and the lives of others around her. She is selfless and tries to do everything for everyone else, which is admirable. She goes through so much in this book in so little time and it's amazing how she keeps herself together and ready to go the next step.

There are new characters introduced in Captivate that really add to feeling that things are changing. We also see a bit more of Mrs. Nix, whom I love dearly! Devyn and Issie are ever present and add a bit of normalcy to the story. Issie goes through things that are completely normal for teens! And that brings the reader back to the feeling that this story could happen. It's full of normal people going through paranormal events.

I feel that this was a good sequel. Not as good as Need, but definitely a great follow up, and even better set up for what is yet to come. Which there hopefully is something else coming, and soon.

Four out of five stars.

More Immortals News!

Alyson Noel has revealed on her blog, Tales from the Real OC (Really!), the title of the fifth book in The Immortals Series!

It will be called Night Star!

This is so exciting!

There are (so far) six books planned for the series. The next book to be released is Dark Flame which is number four in the series. It is scheduled for release on July 6th 2010.

There is also a spin-off series about Ever's sister Riley. The first book is called Radiance and is scheduled for August 31st 2010!

Perchance to Dream Cover

Lisa Mantchev, author of Eyes Like Stars, has a new post on her blog, Backstage at the Theatre, officially revealing the final cover of the sequel Perchance to Dream!

This cover is beautiful and it goes well with the first book in the series. I love it! On the cover is Bertie with Ariel and in the background (top right) is Nate. Oh Nate, how I love thee!

I love this cover. A lot!

Perchance to Dream hits stores on May 25th 2010!

The Iron King

author: Julie Kagawa

published: February 1st 2010

publisher: Harlequin Teen

format: paperback

pages: 363

genre: fantasy

The following synopsis comes from Julie Kagawa's official website.

MEGHAN CHASE HAS A SECRET DESTINY- ONE SHE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED...

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school...or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth- that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face...and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy hear.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

I absolutely LOVE this cover! It is so gorgeous. I find that it accurately represents The Iron King. I love that the title is raised and that the vines or thorns stem from it and are also raised up. It's so fun to touch! The cover is just beautiful.

Another awesome thing about the physical appearance of the book, is that on each of the chapter openings there is a border-type thing like the vines or thorns on the front. And then, on the pages where the different parts are separated (the book has three parts) the same vines or thorns (or maybe it's iron) are around the edges of the page, but even more so than the chapters. I think that's a really nice touch. It makes the inside pretty!

The Book:

I am a HUGE fan of the Fae. Faeries are officially my favorite mythical creature, so I am predisposed to want to LOVE The Iron King. The thing I like about books that are about mythical creatures is that they often all have a similar (if not the same) basic mythology behind it. The folklore is often the same. And I love seeing how different authors can take the same creatures and the same basic backstory and make completely different stories out of it.

The Iron King is (basically) about a girl named Meghan Chase who doesn't fit in and goes on an adventure to save her brother. Meghan is such a strong girl. She will do anything for those that she loves and I think that is admirable. On this adventure she meets many characters and they are amazing! The characters are all different and all lovable in their own ways. Puck brings a comedic feel to the story making stressful situations a bit less stressful. Grimalkin is a funny little guy. He's exactly as a talking cat should be. Then there's Ash. Swoon! He's gorgeous, he's dangerous, and he's actually quite sweet.

I love that I recognized some of the characters from A Midsummer Night's Dream. That was an awesome bonus to this story. I am a huge fan of the play and seeing those characters here, in a new light, was awesome!

The Iron King is such a compelling story and I can't stop thinking about it. I laughed a lot, smiled plenty, and cried a little bit. I was completely engulfed by it and couldn't put it down. I had to know what would happen next.

The Iron King gets five out of five stars!

The sequel, The Iron Daughter, hits stores in August 2010.

Here is the beautiful book trailer for The Iron King.

Wondrous Strange & Forget-Her-Nots

Over on the HarperCollins website, you can read all of Wondrous Strange. Yep! That's right. All 336 pages are available to read! It's a great chance to read the first book in the series. I know I'm going to read it!

So check out Wondrous Strange here!

And do that soon before it's gone. We don't know when that'll be so make sure you go.

HarperCollins also has the first five chapter of Tenner Any Brecount White's Forget-Her-Nots available here!

Forget-Her-Nots hits the shelves on March 2nd 2010!

The Replacement Cover

Wow! Over on the Merry Sisters of Fate blog, 2010 Debut Author Brenna Yovanoff has posted the ARC cover for her debut book, The Replacement. I am so excited for this book! I've read her short fiction on the blog and I am very excited to finally read a novel by her.

The synopsis for The Replacement below comes from Goodreads

Mackie Doyle seems like everyone else in the perfect little town of Gentry, but he is living with a fatal secret - he is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now the creatures under the hill want him back, and Mackie must decide where he really belongs and what he really wants.

A month ago, Mackie might have told them to buzz off. But now, with a budding relationship with tough, wounded, beautiful Tate, Mackie has too much to lose. Will love finally make him worthy of the human world.

The Replacement hits stores September 21st 2010! (According to amazon.com)

So, this cover is amazing! At first, I was a little startled. It's just so eerie and macabre. In my opinion, the best part about this book cover is that it's so original. I have never seen a book cover like it; I have seen several books with similar covers. This cover is phenomenal.

The Demon's Covenant Cover

The author Sarah Rees Brennan has a new blog post over on her blog, Sarah Tells Tales! This wonderfully exciting new post is the cover of her newest book, the second in The Demon's Lexicon series, The Demon's Covenant!

For anyone who has read the first book, The Demon's Lexicon, the girl on the cover is Sin!

I am so excited to finally have a cover in my head for this book.

The Demon's Covenant will hit stores on May 18th 2010.

Frenetic Reader Giveaway!

Khy over at Frenetic Reader is doing an awesome giveaway of My Soul to Save (left) by Rachel Vincent, the sequel to My Soul to Take (right) of the Soul Screamers Series.

All you need to do is put in your name, e-mail address, and post this contest somewhere and add the link! It's so easy!

Khy is giving away three copies! So be sure to check it out here!